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Defenders Magazine
Defenders in Action: Throwing Wolves to the Dogs
Wolf conservationists are denouncing a new rule change by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that could abolish many safeguards for wolves in the northern Rockies.
Because of the safety net provided by the Endangered Species Act, approximately 700 wolves now thrive in the northern Rocky Mountains in the United States. In 2003, the FWS began the process of removing wolves in the western United States from the endangered species list, arguing that the numbers of wolves in the northern Rockies meant the recovery of the species was at hand.
The delisting process requires that the three northern Rockies states—Idaho, Montana and Wyoming—come up with plans to take over management of wolves. In January 2004, FWS approved Montana’s and Idaho’s plans, but rejected Wyoming’s. Among other differences, Wyoming’s plan classifies wolves as predators, which, conservationists argue, would lead to unregulated killing of the creatures.
Wyoming has since sued the federal government, which led FWS to delay the delisting for the entire western region. However, the service is proceeding with an interim plan that would transfer oversight of wolves to state agencies in Montana and Idaho.
Wolf advocates claim that the move towards delisting itself is premature because it precludes recovery of the animals in other parts of the country. They also point out that the proposed interim rules would make it easier for both private citizens and state officials to kill wolves. “Fundamentally, the proposed rule reveals a hostility towards wolves that is directly at odds with current protections as well as the service’s overall mission to protect and conserve wildlife and their habitat,” says Suzanne Stone, Defenders’ Rocky Mountain field representative. “The service is basically turning their own mission on its head.”
